Annual Patriot Day Ceremony scheduled for September 11

(Mantua, NJ) – The Annual Gloucester County Patriot Day Ceremony will take place on Monday, Sept. 11 at 8:30 a.m. at the 9/11 Memorial at the Place of Reflection, inside Chestnut Branch Park on Main St. in Mantua. The ceremony is open to the public and is about an hour long.

The Memorial is a tribute to Gloucester County residents John Rodak, Nicholas W. Brandemarti, Perry Thompson, and all of those who lost their lives during the attack on America on September 11, 2001.

The brief ceremony includes bell ringing to coincide with the timing of the tragic events of that fateful morning, a wreath laying at the 9/11 Memorial, and participation from the Rodak and Brandemarti families, first responders, the Clearview Vocal Ensemble, area clergy and the Emerald Society.

This year is the 16th anniversary of the September 11 attack on America.

Freeholder Director Robert M. Damminger said, "I encourage everyone to set aside an hour from their day on September 11 to join us in remembering the lives of our neighbors who were lost, and all those who perished on that fateful day sixteen years ago."

Mantua Township Committeeman Shawn Layton said, “This ceremony is a small way to honor the loved ones lost on such a tragic day. It also provides an opportunity to say thank you to those who serve in the military as well as our emergency responders who fight to protect us each and every day.”

The Place of Reflection's 9/11 Memorial includes many sacred elements, including a twisted I-beam from the World Trade Center, a flagpole donated by the Rodak and Brandimarti families, a professionally landscaped five-point area around the flagpoles as a tribute to the Pentagon victims of the attack of September 11, and a memorial that represents those who were lost in the United Flight 93, Shanksville PA in 2001. ###